Chequita Johnson-Freeman plays a vital role in LM’s safety and security
January 17, 2024
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As part of LM’s 20-year anniversary celebration, this is one in a series of profiles of current and former LM employees who address various aspects of the LM mission.
The Office of Legacy Management was established on Dec. 15, 2003. One person who has witnessed the program grow and change since the very start is LM Program Analyst Chequita Johnson-Freeman.
Johnson-Freeman specializes in support functions such as security, operations support, training, acquisitions, facilities support, and workforce development, which are critical to LM’s success and carrying out LM’s mission.
“I’ve been doing training support and security for a long time. It’s almost like second nature at this point, but I handle a multitude of support functions within LM,” Johnson-Freeman said. “I started as a secretary, then moved to a program support specialist, and eventually came over as a program analyst. I’ve done a multitude of things within LM, so it’s been a journey.”
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in business administration, Johnson-Freeman was inspired to go into security after the attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001, which eventually led her to work with LM.
“When President Bush signed that directive for personal identification verification, I wanted to be a part of something because of what happened during 9/11. Once I got involved in the security aspect, I just really enjoyed it and I wanted to keep doing it,” Johnson-Freeman added. “There’s of course more I do on the day-to-day basis, but between emergencies and safety, those were the two things that made me want to do what I do every day.”
While reflecting her journey within LM, Johnson-Freeman highlighted some of her significant accomplishments within the organization.
After starting her career, Johnson-Freeman stood up and ran LM’s first-ever Continuity of Operations Program.
“LM has changed and grown a lot since I ran COOP, and now other folks have stepped in and taken over as my own career has grown, but I still look back at that as a big accomplishment, because I didn’t know much about it at the time,” Johnson-Freeman said.
Johnson-Freeman’s many accomplishments involve helping with a variety of operational matters that include helping create COVID-19 work policies that enabled staff to work fully remote at the height of the pandemic; assisting LM with its legacy record project; implementing several office security policies across the organization; and assisting with a breast cancer awareness drive at many LM sites.
Johnson-Freeman’s colleagues attribute her many successes to her hard work and the vast knowledge about LM she has collected over the years.
“Getting to work with Chequita is a privilege. She’s one of the only current employees who has been with LM since it stood up 20 years ago,” said LM Program Analyst Padraic Benson. “Chequita’s two decades of experience with LM is invaluable. She has a depth of knowledge about the organization that few people have.”
Johnson-Freeman said part of what drives her work ethic is that she gets to work in such a meaningful field every day.
“I’m thankful to be able to have a job that I enjoy, where I feel as though I’m making a difference,” she added.
As for her plans for the future and the future of LM, Johnson-Freeman said there is still room for improvement.
“When I started working for LM, it was of course a lot smaller, with a more close-knit community, and there was a very distinct camaraderie within the organization,” Johnson-Freeman said. “It’s hard to maintain that close-knit community with as big as LM has grown over the last 20 years, but I still see glimmers of it when we all come together in celebration. My hope is that continues.”
Johnson-Freeman said she’d like to see LM build on its past successes and become an even stronger organization over the next 20 years.
“I also hope that they are able to expand even more meaningful career opportunities to people in the support fields like me and continue to celebrate many of the hardworking employees within the organization,” she said.